Bollinger Extra Brut Champagne R.D. 2004

98 points/'Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019 (#53),' Wine Enthusiast: "[$300 list] The wine's name stands for recently disgorged and this vintage Champagne was taken off its in 2018. That gave many years for it to develop its depth of flavor, richness and beautifully memorable toasty flavors. Drink through 2028. (Dec 2019)"

98 points Wine & Spirits: "[$300 list] Time has graced this wine, proving the value of Bollinger’s policy of long aging on the lees followed by prompt release after disgorgement. This RD (Recently Disgorged) 2004 is a joyous wine, staunch, cold and powerful at first, transforming to fresh fruit shadowed by darker tones of barrel fermentation. As it opens in the glass, revealing racy energy, a range of floral pear and apple flavors emerge, resonant with a sense of limestone capturing the sun and reflecting it back in pale power. Enjoy this over the course of an evening as its presence shifts, providing varied perspectives on a great Champagne. (Dec 2018)"

97 points Stephan Reinhardt (Wine Advocate): "Fermented in oak barrels and aged under natural corks for almost 13 years, Bollinger's 2004 R. D. Extra Brut blends 66% Pinot Noir with 34% Chardonnay from 16 crus, 88% of which are classified as Grand Cru. The wine opens with a very clear, deep, rich and aromatic but also pure and mineral-fresh nose of crushed rocks, cherries, brioche, pain aux raisin, white nougat, chalk and ripe, yellow-fleshed fruits. Highly elegant and complex on the weightless yet persistent and salty palate, this is an intense, densely woven, firmly structured yet elegant, beautifully refined and refreshing "recent disgorgement" (February 2018) that reveals just a kiss of oxidative flavors that adds even more complexity. A great Champagne on its way to improve over many years in the bottle. Tasted June 2018. Drink: 2018-2034. (Jun 2018)"

97 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(disgorged 21 February 2018; 34% chardonnay, 66% pinot; 88% grand crus, 12% premier crus; fermented entirely in oak barrels; the 25th R.D. since 1952; aged 13 years on lees; 3g/L dosage; less than 1% of production). September was warm and sunny in Champagne in 2004, and Bollinger waited until the end of the month to achieve more ripeness than many, making this vintage a powerful release for the house. I liked it in La Grande Année guise five years ago, and I like it even more in its encore as R.D. The freshest bottles still uphold a brilliant straw hue, while others have evolved to full, golden yellow. This is a deeply spicy and generous Bollinger, celebrating the personality of ripe pinot noir in rich white peach and grilled pineapple notes, set to an undercurrent that swirls and tosses with pipe smoke, truffles, dried peach, wild honey and Bollinger’s signature notes of ginger, crystalline orange, dark chocolate, crème brûlée and fruit mince spice. For such a maelstrom, it preserves profound freshness and preserved lemon vitality, with a long finish of bright energy and salty chalk mineral tension, heightened to a dizzying, airy stratosphere more vibrant in bottles tasted in Champagne than in Australia. The best capture the dynamic endurance of this great season, and transcend the magnitude of Bollinger with astonishing endurance and coiled tension. None more so than in magnum, with an astonishingly unique personality of its own, a fragrant air of white lilies, lemon, struck-flint reduction and wonderful crunchy white peaches and pears. A stunning R.D. with an airiness and luminosity transposed on the reverberating depth of Bollinger, echoing on a finish that hovers in motionless silence for minutes. (2020-2021)"

97 points Decanter: "This is Bollinger’s 2004 interpretation of their famous barrel-aged, recently-disgorged Champagne. This time around it's a blend of 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay, having received a dosage of 3g/l before being cellared under cork, unlike the usual practice of using a crown cap for this phase. A bouquet of raisins and spice jumps out of the glass, propelled by a magnificent mint-toned freshness. Tight and crystalline on the palate, it's dense and yet not all that vinous in mouthfeel. The finish is one of ethereal lightness and magnificent balance. Drink with well-aged cheese. Drinking Window: 2018-2030. (Dec 2018)"

97 points James Suckling: "A superb moment for this late-disgorged vintage Champagne. All the complexity and fruit are here, in the right proportions, on the nose and palate. Grilled peaches, grapefruit, lemons, hazelnuts, espresso and more. Super long, majestic and so rewardingly complex. Drink now. (9/5/18)"

97 points (18.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "On the other hand, we can forget about the 2004 R.D. cuvee for a few years, which is firm and deep, but still very young for our taste. (2019)"

96 points Wine Spectator: "[$300 list] The lovely nose of acacia blossom, toast and graphite leads to flavors of poached quince, fleur de sel, white cherry, lemon pith and almond skin in this dry and harmonious Champagne. Almost airy and ethereal in texture, yet the finely woven flavor range goes on and on, echoing on the finish. Disgorged June 2017. Drink now through 2034. 301 cases imported. (7/31/18)"

96 points Richard Juhlin: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. (Jun 2018)

95-96 points Essi Avellan, MW: "(66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay). Once you have tasted the magnum, it is hard to get back to the 75cl bottle! The magnum (November 2017 disgorgement) is simply stunning (96 points with potential for 98) in its complimentary reductive smoky tones and opulent dried fruit and wood complexity. The 75cl bottles share the same honeyed richness and overt, winey, lush character. Rich and voluptious wine with sweet fruity, even tropical appeal. Structured and muscular with majestic intensity. Fine juniper and hazelnut complexity emerging in the glass. A touch grander than La Grande Année 2004 and seems sweeter and rounder. (Dec 2019)"